


Apres Hephaestus

by Rubywolfsbane



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, M/M, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-04-28 19:28:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14456166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rubywolfsbane/pseuds/Rubywolfsbane
Summary: This is a collection of stories about the crew after they get back to earth, told from different perspectives each time but in third person. Possibly related smut that will be connected but in a different work.





	1. Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> Part 1 - Aftermath

Coming back to Earth hadn’t been the easiest thing, for any of them really. Lovelace had gone off on a bit of a trip, with money she had somehow acquired. They were all technically dead according to legal records (thank you for that Cutter) which made it extremely hard for any of them to have a place to live when they first landed, but they had managed. Minkowski had gone to see her husband and luckily she had hidden some money away from the advanced paycheck that Goddard had given her when she was hired. She had convinced her husband, after a bit of coaxing and proving that she wasn't a ghost or a hallucination, to let everyone stay in the house for a few days, until she could get them identities. It was a bit of a ride but they managed, and had actually found a nice house to rent that was just a subway ride from downtown. 

Minkowski hadn't intended to move in with everyone else at first, them being Doug, Hera and Lovelace, if she ever came back. Her plans had changed rather quickly though. Her husband, after grieving for as long as he had, was starting to develop feelings for his secretary, the woman who had answered the phone when Minkowski had called from the Hephaestus. Every time he looked at her, it was a mixture of guilt and betrayal and sadness, and Minkowski knew she couldn't do this to him. The way he spoke about the secretary, he seemed… happy, and that was all Renée wanted. 

Her husband hadn't wanted to let her go though. He spouted something about how he wanted to go back to the way things were, how he could let the secretary go, but there was pain in those words as well. Renée knew, she could read him like a book, which was ultimately why she decided to leave. She had left her new address for her… well not her husband anymore, and he had her new phone number. They wouldn't be entirely disconnected but she didn't want to stand in the way of his happiness. So off she went, knocking on Doug and Hera’s door softly late one evening. 

“What.. Commander? What are you doing here with all those bags?” Hera’s voice came through the speaker in the doorway. 

“Nice to see you too Hera,” Minkowski responded, her voice soft and genuine but also exhausted, as though she had been on her feet for the days straight with no sleep. 

From inside the house, she heard Hera calling to Doug over the PA system, shortly before there was a shuffle at the door and the click of a latch being unhooked. 

“Renée, it's nice to see you. Is everything... okay?” Doug was hesitant with his words. Everything was most definitely not okay but Minkowski needed someone to take care of who wouldn't look at her with such sad eyes. 

“Yes Doug, everything's fine. Do you mind if I stay here with you for a bit?” The last question was subconsciously directed to both him and Hera, which was of course why Hera felt it appropriate to respond to Minkowski before the words were even fully out of her mouth. 

“Of course it is Commander,” her electronic voice responded eagerly. Her voice wasn't as clear and crisp as it had been on the Hephaestus, but there was only so much they could do when it came to a pre-installed home-speaker-and-security system. 

Doug picked up the larger of Minkowski’s bags, reminding her of just how different Doug and Eiffel were. Eiffel would have razzed her and made her carry her own bags inside, even if it took her half an hour. Doug just helped without saying a word, and he even offered a dazzling smile while he did it. No matter how different the two people were, their eyes never changed, and somehow that comforted her. The same blue-green eyes shone out from under curly brown bangs that definitely needed a trim, maybe along with the rest of his mop that he called hair. 

She felt safe, comfortable, and for a moment she almost forgot the events of earlier that day. 


	2. Something Old

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally here's chapter 2

And just like that, everything began falling into place with their little makeshift family. Minkowski did most of the cooking, Hera had a Roomba that she controlled to clean the floors, and Doug cleaned the rest of the house. 

He happened to be very good at doing laundry, and even running the dishwasher, that is after the first time he had accidentally put regular dish soap in in place of the detergent. Minkowski had gone out to do a bit of shopping and she had come back to a floor that was covered with bubbles, Hera laughing and giving not so helpful suggestions to Doug, who was trying to mop up to mess before Minkowski came home. He had apologized profusely, his face bright red with embarrassment when she walked in the door. Minkowski couldn’t hold it against him; he had just been trying to help. Hera had shut off the dishwasher already, so no terrible damage was done, but Doug insisted on washing the dishes by had that night and refused to get near the dishwasher for the next few days, until Mikowski forced him to learn how to use it properly.

Doug had gotten a job. It was nothing too difficult, just a stock person at a grocery store nearby, but it got him out of the house and it meant he got to bring home any vegetables that needed to be sold. The grocery store was a small, privately owned one, and they didn’t question the fact that Doug had no prior work experience; they took him under their wing as if he were family, and for that everyone was grateful. 

Hera kept watch over the house when no one was home, but this wasn’t often. Doug only worked part time, and for the most part he was gone in the afternoons. Minkowski worked morning shifts and weekends, but she didn’t go out of her way for her job. Spending time with the others was the most important thing. When Hera was alone, she would play music over the speakers or watch the tv. She had gotten into daytime television and also felt the need to update Doug and Minkowski on what had happened that day when they all sat down for dinner. 

Minkowski worked at a shooting range, giving lessons to those who wanted to learn how to shoot properly. She had had to fake some paperwork to get that position, but it hadn’t been too difficult to prove herself considering her background in the Air Force. She enjoyed it as much as she could, but mainly she taught those that came to her proper handling and engrained into them that they were never to turn the force onto another person. She had caused enough death to last her ten lifetimes. 

Dinner was always eaten together and was a time to talk and share about the day. It was freeing to have people to talk to who understood. Doug, on his way home from space, had listened to all the logs he had recorded, as well as some things Hera had in the archives of her computers. He knew what had happened up there, and sometimes, he would have flashes of things he thought he remembered, but they would be gone just as quickly as they had come.

Similarly, there were moments when Doug would remind Minkowski so much of Eiffel that she would slip up and misname him. The first time it happened, Doug had been taking forever in the shower, something he did regularly on the Hephaestus, and Mikowski had banged on the door yelling out, “Eiffel, you have thirty seconds to get your ass out of that bathroom or else!” Time seemed to freeze in that moment, only the sound of the shower could be heard throughout the house, before the water was shut off and Doug made his way out of the bathroom. 

Minkowski couldn’t look him in the eye, and simply went about getting ready for work. When she came out to eat breakfast, Doug was smiling and burning some eggs on the stove. Upon noticing her, he pulled her into a hug, not long, but just enough for her to understand he wasn’t upset; and he wasn’t. He was happy. He wanted so badly to be the person that they knew, but that wasn’t possible, but Renee being comfortable enough to refer to him the way she used to made him hopeful. 

After dinner, they would sit down and watch tv together, usually whatever happened to be on the movie network, but every time Star Wars was on, they had an unspoken agreement that they would watch it. No one complained. 

At first when they would watch tv, Doug would sit as far as he could on the couch from Renee as still as possible, worrying that he would do something wrong, something his past self would do. Slowly though, he inched closer to her, until one night when they were watching Empire Strikes Back, Doug started to nod off, and his head fell on Renee’s shoulder. Minkowski wasn’t too shocked when this happened, but she figured he couldn’t be comfortable. With some minor adjusting, and some grumbling from Doug’s part, his head ended up in her lap, his legs up on the couch in a half curled up position, while Renee ran her fingers through his hair. 

From that night forward, this was the position that they would end up in every night. Some nights when Doug was fast asleep, Renee wouldn’t wake him to get him to move to his bed. She would cover him with a blanket and place a kiss on his forehead, wishing him the sweetest dreams, because he deserved them.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of this new world. Its pretty basic for now but I hope you enjoyed this first part. I will post as often as I can.


End file.
